Signs You May Need a Root Canal

At MVP Family Dental, we provide endodontics procedures for patients living in Jenkintown, PA and the surrounding area. As a general dentist, we use procedures like root canals to help save teeth that have become infected or damaged and would otherwise have to be extracted. Our goal is to create situations that allow for you to maintain your natural teeth for as long as possible. That is why we focus on endodontics treatments that prevent tooth loss. If you have any of the symptoms listed below we encourage you to call (215) 892-1438 as quickly as possible. This way, we can examine you to determine the extent of the damage and make a recommendation regarding the best way to proceed. If it appears that you need root canals, we will schedule you right away.

Here are signs that you may need a root canal -

#1 Your tooth looks gray.

As a general dentist, we understand that it can be difficult to tell how healthy your teeth actually are. Since you cannot see the full extent of your mouth there may be areas of decay that you are unable to notice when brushing or flossing your teeth. However, it can be significantly easier to notice if the shade of your teeth is changing slowly. If one of your teeth is suddenly looking gray, this could be a sign of an internal infection and the need for an endodontic procedure.

#2 Eating has become uncomfortable.

You should not experience any discomfort when eating. If you do, it is likely a sign that you have experienced tooth decay or you have a tooth that is infected. In this case, it is wise for you to schedule an appointment with our Jenkintown general dentist office. If you simply have decay, we may be able to remove it and provide you with a dental filling in one visit. However, if  the interior of your tooth (the dental pulp) becomes infected and we will need to perform a root canal procedure in order to remove the infected area so that your tooth can return to good health.

#3 You have a toothache.

At MVP Family Dental we tell our Jenkintown patients that the most obvious sign of needing root canals is if you wake up with a terrible toothache. This can happen to both children and adults and while there can be external causes like eating too much candy, more often than not you have a toothache because your tooth is infected.

#4 Food is getting stuck in a hole in your tooth.

As a 19046 general dentist, we help a lot of patients that visit our office after noticing that food is becoming trapped inside one of their teeth while eating. Holes can develop in your teeth due to weak enamel or them being attacked. When this happens the interior of your tooth is probably going to become infected because it's going to be difficult for you to thoroughly clean the area. In this case, we will want to remove the infected dental pulp and then complete a dental restoration so that your tooth can function as it should.

Schedule an Appointment

At MVP Family Dental we practice gentle dentistry which means that when you visit our general dentist office for an endodontic procedure you can count on us to perform it in a way that is as comfortable as possible. While root canals tend to have a bad reputation they do not have to be uncomfortable. In fact, we find that most of our patients experience discomfort prior to coming in because of how the infection is making them feel. Once the root canals have been completed our patients report feeling better right away. To schedule an appointment call (215) 892-1438.